Bynempt a facred vow," which none should ay releace. 61. The dead knights fword out of his sheath he drew, b Bynempt a facred vow.] i. e. took a facred vow; from the Germ. nehmen, to take, with the prefix by. The word "bynempt" alfo occurs in "The Shep. Cal." vol. i. p. 126; but there it feems rather to mean to name, or mention. Todd would here also understand "bynempt" as named; but he was mistaken in the etymology: it has in this place no connection with the German word beiname, a nickname. C. With which he cutt a lock of all their beare.] This feems an allufion to the custom of cutting off a lock of hair of dying perfons, which was looked on as a kind of offering to the infernal deities. Juno orders Iris to perform this office to Dido, Virgil, Æn. vi. 694. And in the "Alceftis of Euripides," Death fays he is come to perform this office to Alceftis. There was likewise another ceremony, which was for the friends and relations of the deceased to cut off their own hair, and to fcatter it upon the dead corfe. "Nec traxit cæfas per tua membra ." Confol. ad Liv. ver. 98. UPTON. comas. Which medling.] Mixing the hair, &c. Fr. mêler. So, in "The Shep. Cal." April, [vol. i. p. 46]: "The red rofe medled with the white yfere." Again, in May, [vol. i. p. 65]: "Thus medled his talk with many a tear." CHURCH. In both places E. K. has fupplied the glofs, viz. " medled, mingled," and we have thought it needless to add to it. C. HUS when Sir Guyon with his faithful Had with dew rites and dolorous lament The litle babe up in his armes he hent;" Of that was doen; that ruth emperced deepe In that knightes hart, and wordes with bitter teares did steepe: 2. "Ah! luckleffe babe, borne under cruell ftarre, a in his armes he bent.] In his arms he took: A. S. bentan. Shakefpeare repeatedly ufes both "hent" and hint; the laft as a fubftantive. C. And throwen forth, till it be withered. Such is the ftate of men: Thus enter we Into this life with woe, and end with miferee!" 3. Then, foft himselfe inclyning on his knee Downe to that well, did in the water weene His guiltie handes from bloody gore to cleene. 4. He wift not whether blott of fowle offence Might not be purgd with water nor with bath; b To fhew how fore bloodguiltineffe he hat'th;" Being diffused through the fenceless tronck, That through the great contagion direful deadly stonck. 5. Whom thus at gaze the Palmer gan to borde With goodly reason, and thus fayre befpake; "Ye bene right hard amated, gratious Lord, ↳ To fhew how fore bloodguiltinesse he hat'th.] We meet with bloodguiltineffe again in St. 30; and again in F. Q. ii. vii. 19. This is a word which would have been ranked among Spenfer's obfolete terms, had it not been accidentally preferved to us in the tranflation of the Pfalms used in our Liturgy, and by that means rendered familiar. “Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God." Pfal. li. 14. T. WARton. the Palmer gan to bord.] To “ bord," from the Fr. aborder, means, to approach, or accoft. To accoft, is ftrictly to come up to the fide of; and to " bord," to advance to a limit or boundary. C. dre bene right hard amated.] The etymology of the verb to And of your ignorance great merveill make, Which who hath skill them rightly to have chufd, To proofe of pafling wonders hath full often ufd: 6. "Of those, some were fo from their fourse indewd Or by good prayers, or by other hap, Had vertue pourd into their waters bace, And thenceforth were renowmd, and fought from place to place. 7. "Such is this well, wrought by occafion ftraunge, Which to her Nymph befell. Upon a day, As fhe the woodes with bow and fhaftes did raunge, Inflamed was to follow beauties pray, amate" has been variously given: to mate, is to confound; and here "amated" is, probably, to be understood as confounded, puzzled, perplexed, which laft is the fenfe given by Todd. The Spanish matar, to kill, is the fame as the Italian amazzare; and to mate, in English, is frequently used for to deftroy. The text of the 4to. 1590 is, “ Ye bene right bart amated;" and if we take "hart-amated as a compound, we are not by any means fure that it is not right: Guyon might be amated in heart; but later impreffions read “hard amated." C. 66 to follow beauties pray.] It is "beauties chace" in all the old impreffions; but the rhyme fhows it to be wrong. Church did not at all know what word to fubftitute; and Todd fuggefted ray, as the conjecture of the editor of "The Sad Shepherd" of Ben Jonfon. Drayton, in his copy of the folio 1611, has, doubtlefs, furnished the right word, And chaced her that faft from him did fly; As hynd from her, fo fhe fled from her enimy. 8. "At laft, when fayling breath began to faint, Her deare befought to let her die a mayd. 9. "Lo! now she is that stone; from whose two heads, For it is chafte and pure as purest snow, But ever, like herselfe, unftayned hath beene tryde. 10. "From thence it comes, that this babes bloody hand "pray," i. e. prey: Faunus was inflamed to follow "beauty's prey," or the beautiful prey of which he was in chase. We have therefore had no hesitation in inferting "pray" in the text, being convinced, on the authority of Drayton, fupported by the rhyme and the obvious fenfe of the paffage, that "pray" mult have been Spenfer's word. Above, we ought poffibly to read a Nymph, inftead of "her Nymph," unless we are to fuppofe that "her" applies to the well. Drayton here placed a mark in his margin, but made no alteration. C. |